There is no denying that GTA 6 was one of the most anticipated games of 2025. After Trailer 1, there was a buzz that snowballed as faithful fans counted down to the game’s potential release later this year. However, on May 2, 2025, Rockstar Games dropped a bombshell that shattered that anticipation, crushing the excitement that many had been feeling, and, in its place, as a solid foundation for frustration was laid.
“Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026,” read the message shared by Rockstar announcing the postponement of the game’s release date. For developers, it was more time to work on finishing and polishing, but for waiting fans, it was more agony, especially because Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has previously expressed optimism that GTA 6 will release in 2025.
ALSO READ: Opinion: The Death Of Midnight Society Highlights The Danger Of Celebrity-Led Projects
“We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. … With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception.”
Rockstar knows that a message like this could cost them fans and potentially dampen the anticipation that has built around the game. To curb this, they provided a definite release date (with no guarantees that it will not change again), which should help fans keep their enthusiasm, but that is not all.
GTA 6 Trailer 2 is Rockstar’s most ambitious marketing move
With the pushback of the GTA 6 release date, many fans were ready to move on and focus on games with release windows in sight. However, like a chess grand master, the GTA 6 marketing team played their most important piece; GTA 6 Trailer 2.
To keep the anticipation around their upcoming release, Rockstar released the eagerly anticipated second trailer for GTA 6. While the second trailer attracted significantly fewer views on YouTube compared to the first, it suddenly reignited conversations around the upcoming game, sparking debates on whether the trailer was captured in PS5 or was completely different from the game.
ALSO READ: Opinion: Should Gamers Care ‘Too Much’ About Metacritic Scores? 2 Reasons You Shouldn’t
Compared to the first trailer, which crossed 94 million views in 24 hours on YouTube, the second trailer currently sits at 95 million views after 72 hours. However, the bigger picture of view counts is stunning. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rockstar claimed GTA 6’s second trailer garnered over 475 million views across all platforms in 24 hours.
For the sake of clarity, the first trailer was a YouTube exclusive and marked the biggest non-music video launch on the platform. On the contrary, the second trailer launched on more platforms.
Discussions around the GTA 6 second trailer
Reactions have continued to trail the release of GTA 6’s second trailer, with some wondering if some of the footage might have been captured on PS5, as suggested by the small print shown at the end of the trailer.
Rockstar later confirmed through a social media post that “Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 was captured entirely in-game from a PlayStation 5, comprised of equal parts gameplay and cutscenes”.
ALSO READ: Opinion: What if You Can Talk To NPCs In Real-Time? TiGames Is Setting The Pace With ZooPunk
What has engrossed fans the most is the level of detail in the character models. Many believe the details are super impressive for a five-year-old console. From the trailer, it is hard to tell the gameplay and cutscenes apart. Alexander Battaglia of Digital Foundry thinks the trailer was likely entirely made up of cutscenes.
“The trailer is running at 30 fps and is completely made up of—presumably—real-time cutscenes and not gameplay—hence the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen,” Battaglia said in an interview with IGN. “I imagine the game’s primary target for such cutscenes is 30 fps, and it’s likely the same for gameplay.”
Did the GTA 6 trailer 2 and a definite release date make you forget the disappointment that the game will no longer be released in 2025? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
